Video Included: The second edition of Oklahoma Senator James Lankford’s annual report of “Federal Fumbles” released Monday highlights how the Federal Government wastes tax money and the resulting growing deficit. Both sides of that same coin are stunning.
• The federal deficit for Fiscal Year 2016 was $587 billion, and overall debt is now $19.5 Trillion, according to the Treasury Department.
• The total federal debt of $19,573,444,713,936.79 now equals about $165,575 per household in America.
• In the eight years of Mr. Obama’s presidency, the federal debt has grown by $9 trillion, nearly matching the total amount of debt accumulated by all of his predecessors.
• According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, the projected federal deficit is expected to be $594 billion in Fiscal Year 2017.
• Annual deficits are projected to increase above $1 trillion within this decade due to America’s aging population. Between 2010 and 2040, the number of Americans age 65 and older will double – from 41 million to 82 million people.
“To lower the debt, we need to grow the economy, and we must root out inefficiencies, duplication, and wasteful spending wherever they exist,” Sen. Lankford said.
“The Federal Fumbles report provides specific examples of wasteful spending and unnecessary regulations that are not in the taxpayer’s best interest, and show specific solutions for how the federal government can become more efficient. We had some small victories, over the last year, from my 2015 report; I am hopeful that we can continue to build upon those accomplishments next year,” Sen. Lankford added.
Here is the link to the full 2016 report (click for more).
Here is the link to the full 2015 report (click for more)
Sen. Lankford discussed the study on Fox and Friends in the following video:
Sen. Lankford presented the report to the Heritage Foundation here:
https://youtu.be/-W8A3i_TJ-c
Links to other media reports on Federal Fumbles follow:
Washington Post: Should the U.S. spend $200,000 on how 500-year-old fish bones relate to Tanzanian social status?
Should Uncle Sam spend $200,000 to study how 500-year-old fish bones relate to the social status of residents in a Tanzanian port city? Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) doesn’t think so.
Fox News: Okla Sen. Lankford releases new ‘Federal Fumbles’ report on gov’t waste
A $2 million study on how children don’t like to eat food that’s been sneezed on is one of the highlights of this year’s “Federal Fumbles” – a report on government waste released Monday by Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla.
Washington Times: Snuggies, Silent Shakespeare top annual government wasteful-spending list
The National Endowment for the Arts has committed $10,000 of taxpayers’ money to test that question — one of dozens of projects to make the wasteful spending list of Sen. James Lankford, an Oklahoma Republican who’s continuing the tradition of former Sen. Tom Coburn’s annual Wastebook.
Federal News Radio: Lankford’s ‘wastebook’ report roasts legacy IT spending
Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) rang in “wastebook” season on Monday, highlighting the offbeat side of government spending.
CBN News: Federal Fumbles: You Won’t Believe How Your Tax Dollars Are Wasted
This is the second-year Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., has put out “Federal Fumbles,” a big spotlight on outrageous cases of federal overspending. They include “things like the NIH study of about $2 million to study how children perceive food, including testing to see when food is sneezed on, if 5-year-olds will still eat the food.” Lankford said. ” Now, I think we could have answered that question for less than $2 million.”
Independent Journal Review: Here Are the Six Most Bizarre Things From Sen. Lankford’s Report of ‘Federal Fumbles’
Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) released his second annual “Federal Fumbles” report Monday to shed light on some of the peculiar things on which the United States government spends taxpayer money or attempts to regulate businesses.
For the second year in a row, the office of Sen. James Lankford, a Republican from Oklahoma, produced a report documenting the most egregious wastes of taxpayer dollars.
The Daily Signal: Grave Digging in Iceland, Tofu in Convenience Stores: Your Tax Dollars at Work
The national debt is expected to hit $20 trillion early next year. Sen. James Lankford has a few ideas to start chipping away at it.
The Norman Transcript: Oklahoma senator releases “Federal Fumbles” government waste report
Sen. James Lankford today released his second annual government waste and solutions report called, “Federal Fumbles: 100 ways the government dropped the ball.” The report represents $247 billion in wasteful and inefficient federal spending and regulations, but also includes solutions to each of the examples of government waste.
Tulsa World: Sen. James Lankford releases new list of “federal fumbles”
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, sanctuary cities and a $76.5 million airplane that may never fly are among the examples of government inefficiencies cited in U.S. Sen. James Lankford’s second “Federal Fumbles,” which was released Monday.
News 9 (CBS, OKC): Lankford Issues Second Annual ‘Federal Fumbles’ Waste Report
In his second annual “Federal Fumbles” report, U.S. Sen. James Lankford details 100 examples of what he and his staff feel are inefficient uses of federal tax dollars, or ways that Washington has “dropped the ball.”
The Oklahoman: Lankford waste book cites questionable federal spending
U.S. Sen. James Lankford released his second annual book of government waste on Monday, poking fun at some government research projects and raising anew the problems with Medicaid payments and outdated government technology.